


Third Time's the Charm

by spideyfreakradio



Category: Teen Titans (Animated Series)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Teen Titans (Animated Series) Setting, DC Comics References, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-15
Updated: 2021-01-03
Packaged: 2021-03-04 04:41:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 13
Words: 18,501
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24737839
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/spideyfreakradio/pseuds/spideyfreakradio
Summary: The following is a story about Slade's third attempt to gain an apprentice following the events of Trigon's defeat in the fiftieth episode of "Teen Titans." It an interpretation in which Deathstroke is able to return to mortality and continue his dominance in the world of crime as well as in his association with the Titans and his journey obtaining the apprentice he always wanted. Also available on Wattpad, DeviantArt, Quotev, and Fanfiction.net.
Kudos: 3





	1. A Fresh Start

The girl was alone, wandering the cold streets as her own solitary companion with a full moon casting a creeping light in her wake. Slade had been watching her for some time now, observing her mannerisms and routines from a distance. She was never aware of his presence or the looming shadow he cast around his hiding places. Over the few short weeks of Slade's spying, he had gathered a few things; she had little interaction with others, had no home or family, went by several different names and aliases, avoided authority figures, and had a knack of arriving in places that destruction would follow, Particularly floods and rainstorms with the occasional tsunami if the place in question allowed.

These night walks were recurring events for the girl, something she seemed to do always. Tonight would be different for her, however. Tonight Slade was going to confront the young female with a proposition. Following the failed apprenticeships of Robin and Terra and his return after Trigon's defeat, he had kept himself busy rebuilding the reputation that had fallen during his absence. That and searching for a new student to train and tutor; and he was confident that this attempt would be successful.

Third time's the charm, right?

The city the girl had been residing in the past few nights was a quieter one and more inland than others she had visited in the years prior. It felt good for her to get away from loud traffic and blaring lights advertising all the things she could never buy. She was poor, always had been but she didn't particularly mind. Money could never buy happiness or love anyway.

The girl huffed as she continued down the winding road to a trail that lead off into a small valley. She turned and headed down it, kicking an occasional pebble and glancing up at the winking stars. Nature was a good crutch and comfort. She never really had friends, but that was largely due to her constant traveling and disconnection with people. So instead she would retreat to forests and mountains and deserts-anything away from the stone jungles filled with those suspicious eyes. It was hard to trust people. They were selfish. And greedy.

Finally reaching her destination, she paused and looked out at her temporary shelter. A makeshift tent was pitched next to a slim aspen tree facing out towards a still pond with fireflies dancing across it. She walked over to the grassy banks and sat down, hugging her knees to her chest. It was so quiet here. She could hear her heartbeat.

Thump.

Thump.

Thump.

Thump.

She sighed. Her right hand fingered the zipper line of her jacket, stroking the cheap metal that had begun to peel and rust. It was old but had served its purpose. She glanced down at her worn sneakers that had begun to gather holes and the jeans that were starting to be too small. She needed new clothes. She had stolen her last outfit, and the one before that. She would have to do so again. The first time had been clumsy, sloppy, and she nearly got caught running away from the thrift store. After that though, snatching food and anything else she needed became easier and she got better. She cared less and less that she was taking things from other people, considering that when she was first alone on the streets, no one cared to help her. So why would stealing matter to her anymore? It didn't.

She looked down at the water and extended a hand towards it, letting a gentle finger touch the surface, causing a ripple to grow away from it. She raised her hand a little and directed her focus at the pond. A blob of water floated up from it, right under her hand, becoming an almost perfect circle. She faced her palm upwards and the shape followed, softly wavering and shining in the moonlight. She thought about the snippet of a cartoon she had seen earlier that day, and the water began taking shape of the different characters she could remember from it. That calmed her. She wasn't sure where she got this ability from, the ability to warp water to her desire, but she generally enjoyed the privilege of having it. She had theories, of course, of where it came from, but her strongest suspicion was that it was genetic or something...not that she would ever really know since she never knew her parents or any other family that could confirm her guesses.

The girl reflected on her travels from the past few months. Lately, she had been bringing problems with her, ones that almost always resulted in destruction. Fierce storms and raging floods mainly. She didn't make them on purpose, not usually. Sometimes she just couldn't control herself and disaster would happen. Sometimes it would be a spoiled bully making comments on her shabby clothes, or perhaps a merchant hollering at her for looking around too long without buying anything. Often it was in self-defense. More than once a gang or thug would corner her someplace, taunting her, or demanding money. She could fight well enough, but still. Powers like hers were more fun anyway. So by the time she left those cities, her damage would be done.

She would be leaving this place soon, but not before she had searched the town. She lost a necklace there somewhere she had had for a while...come to think of it, she couldn't remember a time that she didn't have that thing. It had significant importance to her and she wasn't leaving without it if she could help it. It was a pretty thing, dark blue with golden lines twisting in it like marble. It too often was something those petty thieves wanted when she'd reveal to them that she didn't have any money.

She sighed again, and let the water fall into the pond.

-SNAP-

Her head whipped around at the sound and she immediately jumped to her feet. Whatever had made the noise was likely an animal, but she wanted to be careful. The bushes in front of her rustled and her eyes widened at the figure that emerged from them, and she took a step back.

Slade gazed down at the girl before him. Until now, he had never been able to get a good look at her up close. He took in the youthful face, the blue-green eyes, the long wavy golden-blonde hair, her mouth open in fear. She was small in stature, smaller than he had initially thought, probably not much older than thirteen. She took another step back towards the pond.

"Careful there, young one. You might fall in." Slade said as the girl raised her fists up to chest level. "Who are you?" She asked, her mouth drawn into a frown.

"My name is Slade. Might I ask you yours?" He took a step toward her with his hands folded behind his back. Her lips tightened. "Jenny." She responded, a trace of defensiveness in her voice. 

"Oh really?" He leaned in. "It's not...Suzie? Or Tiffany? Or Anne? Or perhaps Caroline?" The girl's eyes widened even further and she began to shake, her breathing quickened. Those were all names she had been using lately, all of which were paired with different personalities to ward off attention from the police or anyone else she encountered while hopping from city to city.

"W-what-how-?" She stuttered, her face contorted in shock. "I know all about you, little girl. I've been watching. You aren't hard to follow, you know. You leave obvious clues to your identity wherever you go, destruction in your wake." He smiled under his mask. "Tonight I wanted to meet you in person. Your unusual abilities intrigue me." Her eyes narrowed. "Oh yeah?" She retorted. "Are you with government or something? Are there more of you here?" She demanded, glancing around at the thick forest around them. At that, Slade chuckled. "Do you think someone working for government wear something like this?" He asked, gesturing at his mask. The girl lowered her head a little. "No, I guess not." She let her arms fall a little. "So what are you here for, then?"

"I thought I made that clear. You, my dear." Immediately, her breath quickened again. This man wasn't just an intruder, he was a threat. "You're what I've been looking for." The girl tried to keep her voice steady, but she could hear the fear in it and was sure this stranger could too. "What are you looking for then?" Slade kept his gaze on her. "An apprentice. Someone I can teach, someone to follow in my footsteps." His singular eye narrowed slightly. "Someone to fight by my side." The girl took that in. She still didn't completely understand what it was that he was trying to tell her, but at that moment she decided she was done waiting.

Slade had been anticipating what happened next, he was ready for it. He had seen it time and time again with people that threatened her in the past and he had prepared for this sort of attack. The girl raised her arms by her side, her eyes taking a florescent blue as she directed water from the pond at Slade. She guided it around his head, surrounding his mask, waiting for him to drown. Instead, he pulled out a device that he attached onto his face where his mouth would have been. She saw bubbles floating away from it and realized it was letting him breathe. This set panic into her. That was all she had ever needed to do to protect herself, and she never anticipated someone being prepared enough to save themselves. Not like this. She didn't know what to do. The water fell away from him and splashed into the grass.

While he lifted his hand to remove his attachment, the girl ran at him with a fist raised to strike. Her punch was easily caught, Slade's other hand swallowing her own. She was thrown to the ground with a groan. She clutched her arm, eyes shut in pain. Slade bent down next to her, his face leaning in uncomfortably close to hers. He grabbed her chin and she opened her eyes. "I've seen what you have done. I know what you can do. You are powerful now, but you can do more. you have so much potential, you just need a mentor. Someone to guide you. I can give that to you." She paused, looking up at Slade, surprise and confusion written on her face. "W-What would you want from me?" Slade stood up and she followed. "It's like I said. I want you to be my apprentice. To obey me, to fight by my side, to belong to me." He extended a closed hand and opened it to reveal the beloved necklace she had lost. She took it with awe and stroked the jewel it carried. "It is, of course, up to you. Know that this is a once in a lifetime opportunity. Such things will not be offered to you in the future by anyone else." She looked up at him. "So...what do you say? Will you be mine?" The girl looked back down at the hand carrying the jewelry, then back up at Slade.

....

"I will."

Slade smiled behind his mask and gestured for her to follow him. "Very good. I'll ask you again though...what is your name?" She bit her lip. "I-I never had one. Never really had anyone to use it if I did." Slade hummed. "You know...Mira is a name in Sanskrit meaning 'ocean' or 'sea'. I think it would suit you quite well." He looked down at her. She smiled. "Yeah...I like that." Slade straightened back up. "Well then, Mira. Let's hurry out, shall we? Our future awaits."


	2. Introductions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The following is a story about Slade's third attempt to gain an apprentice following the events of Trigon's defeat in the fiftieth episode of "Teen Titans." It an interpretation in which Deathstroke is able to return to mortality and continue his dominance in the world of crime as well as in his association with the Titans. Included will be encounters and battles with Slade and the teen heroes and the journey of him gaining the apprentice he always wanted. Story begins roughly eight months after the end of the fiftieth episode. Also available on Wattpad, DeviantArt, Quotev, and Fanfiction.net.

Slade led Mira through the forest, off trail and seemingly where most people hadn't yet been. For the most part of it, neither of them spoke, until he broke the increasingly awkward silence. Awkward for Mira anyway.

"How long have you had your powers?" He asked, glancing down at her, hands still folded behind his back. Her mind stumbled a little at that. "Uh...as long as I can remember-I think." He hummed. "I see." They started up a rocky path leading to the top of one of the mountains. "So um..." She started. "What exactly are we supposed to be fighting? Like-you said you wanted me to 'fight by your side.' What does that mean?"

"It means apprentice, that I expect you to train and battle in martial arts. As for what, or better who I want you to fight, well...that depends on many things." Mira looked up at him in confusion. He peered down at her through the corner of his eye. "You'll understand, in time." She nodded her head and kept her eyes on the ground in front of her.

Minutes later, Slade spoke. "There." Now at a flat, open side of the mountain, Mira saw a helicopter perched atop a ledge. "That will be our ride out. Have you ever flown before?" Mira shook her head. He chuckled. "This should be an interesting experience for you then." He walked over and opened the door, allowing Mira to enter in first. There were only four seats, two in front for the pilots and two in the back. She decided to take the back right. Slade climbed in after and sat in the seat diagonal from her, starting up the engines and warming the aircraft for flight. He put on a headset with a microphone attached to it and handed another to Mira. When she had it in a comfortable position, she heard Slade's voice through the speakers. "Can you hear me?" She replied with a yes, fastening her belt. 

A minute later, the helicopter rose, the trees and pebbles around being blown in all directions as it took flight. Mira goggled at the scene out the window-they were going up so fast, and so high! It was pretty, seeing everything below them, but she suddenly felt a little sick seeing that everything was way below them. She clamped her mouth shut and decided to focus on the seat in front of her, white-knuckled hands grasping the sides of her chair.

Slade looked back at her, saying over the microphones, "Feeling alright there, Mira?" She turned her head towards him, feeling her face and ears heat in embarrassment. "Hehe, uh yeah, I just um-I'm not really used to being this high up so. It's all a little new, I guess...yeah." She turned back to facing forward, feeling the heat intensify and grow down her neck. Slade looked back out the front window, angling the helicopter more right. "Your kind of reaction isn't unusual. You'll get over it soon enough."

'I sure hope so,' she thought. Mira looked up at the stars outside, and felt less anxious, but suddenly very tired. She looked down at her watch. 

12:58

She usually was in bed by 11:00 or earlier. No wonder she was so exhausted. She sighed and looked back outside and relaxed. Curled up with her knees to her chest, her eyelids starting to droop, she felt herself start to drift off to sleep...


	3. Take me home, country roads

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The following is a story about Slade's third attempt to gain an apprentice following the events of Trigon's defeat in the fiftieth episode of "Teen Titans." It an interpretation in which Deathstroke is able to return to mortality and continue his dominance in the world of crime as well as in his association with the Titans. Included will be encounters and battles with Slade and the teen heroes and the journey of him gaining the apprentice he always wanted. Story begins roughly eight months after the end of the fiftieth episode. Also available on Wattpad, DeviantArt, Quotev, and Fanfiction.net.

Mira awoke to the shuddering of the helicopter beginning its descent. Looking back out the window, she could easily see that they were far from the mountain they had left. She checked her watch.

3:38 AM

'Holy crap,' she thought. 'We've been flying for four hours?' Peering out back to the ground, she saw a vast difference in scenery. Instead of the land-locked towns and lush forests, there were tall-standing skyscrapers in the distance, ocean on its opposite side-perhaps only a few miles away. Directly below, however, was a landing pad surrounded by palm trees, looking like you could only see it if you were above it like they were.

"Welcome home apprentice." Came Slade's voice over the headset. Mira jumped, somehow forgetting she wasn't alone in the aircraft. 'Guess I'm more tired than I thought,' she said to herself, adjusting her microphone. She watched as the helicopter finally reached its landing, the propeller slowing. Mira unbuckled and placed her headset on a hook on the seat in front of her. Slade already out of the vehicle was holding the door open. She clambered out and hopped onto the concrete.

Mira looked around. Where were they going to go from here? The pad was elevated high off the ground, high enough to make jumping a painful experience. There was no attached building and no ladder or stairs that she could see. She watched in confusion as Slade walked to one of the corners where a stand was located. He typed something on a keypad and pulled a lever. The landing pad shuddered and Mira instinctively grabbed hold of the helicopter door handle to steady herself as the inner square of the platform began to lower down into the ground.

Mira looked up and watched the sky grow smaller and smaller until it was no more than a fraction of what it was at the top. Then, a door slid out to close the hole, trapping them inside. It was here where they stopped. Lights came on, illuminating a hallway that Slade started down, motioning for Mira to follow. "This is where you will live for the time being." He began. "Every morning you will meet with me at 6:30 for breakfast. At 7:00, we will start lessons in one of my training rooms. Depending on how they go, you may be sent on a challenge run. Lunch at noon. Practice in technical skills following. Training and dinner after. What we do afterward will change every day. Understood?" 

Mira scrunched her eyebrows together and repeated back the schedule Slade had given her with only a few mistakes that he corrected. Coming up to a fork, they took a right down a more narrow hallway. They made a left, than other right before Slade stopped them outside a door. "Here is your room. Down there, at a left at the end of this corridor is a hallway that will lead to the dining hall." He said, pointing. "And here. This is a key-card to get into your room and the other select places we will be using in the future. It will open no other doors." He gave her a small white and grey card embossed with the figures 2-P1. "6:30. Do not be late." He turned and headed back the way they came.

She watched after him for a moment before opening her door. It was a medium sort of room containing a full-sized bed on the left side with a nightstand next to it. On the bed's other side was a wooden dresser, and across from all those things was a large closet. She walked into the middle of the room and noticed on the dresser's right was a door leading to a connected bathroom. Inside that was a shower, toilet, sink, another closet, and a large bathtub. Mira hummed and walked back out, opening the closet and discovered two sets of clothes; a pair of plaid pajamas and a black polyester workout suit. She grabbed the pajamas and headed back to the bathroom.

After a bit of exploring, she located a toothbrush in one of the drawers and finished getting ready. When she was done, she walked over to the bed and climbed into it. Although it probably wasn't the softest thing in the world, it sure felt like it was to her. Consequences of spending all of her nights on the ground she supposed. She turned her head to look at the nightstand. On it was a glass of water, a lamp, and an alarm clock. She had already set an alarm for 6:00 on her watch, but...

Mira grabbed the clock and set its alarm for 6:00. 'Just in case' she thought. 'Can't be late on my first day.' She glanced back at her watch.

4:06 AM

Only two hours then. 'Well,' she said to herself, 'Better take what I can get.' She looked up at the ceiling. 'What an interesting little adventure I've gotten myself into,' she thought. 'Is this even real...?'

'I guess I'll find out tomorrow.'


	4. Alarms and Breakfast Grub

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The following is a story about Slade's third attempt to gain an apprentice following the events of Trigon's defeat in the fiftieth episode of "Teen Titans." It an interpretation in which Deathstroke is able to return to mortality and continue his dominance in the world of crime as well as in his association with the Titans. Included will be encounters and battles with Slade and the teen heroes and the journey of him gaining the apprentice he always wanted. Story begins roughly eight months after the end of the fiftieth episode. Also available on Wattpad, DeviantArt, Quotev, and Fanfiction.net

Slade continued down the long corridor away from his apprentice. He listened to the door sliding open, then closed. All was going quite well considering his past success rate with his students. He thought it might be so. There were things different about this child. Robin and Terra had both started out wanting to do good, with Robin continuing to do so-the opposite of Slade's goal for them. Terra turned to evil for a short while, but...well. What happened next didn't end ideally for Slade.

He turned a corner and entered a dark room lit only by a large monitor positioned on the wall with documents and video displayed on the screen. He flipped through it, sifting around the footage he had taken while watching Mira. She was good at using her abilities, that was for sure. Not like Terra was at the beginning. Yet another difference between them. Terra didn't have control, not until Slade took over for her. Not until she killed him. She was confused and indecisive about who she wanted to be and that held her back from reaching her potential. Mira on the other hand...seldom lost dominance over her powers and when she hurt people it seemed to be purposeful, not accidental. That helps. When someone comes ready and willing to destroy, they are stronger. More resilient. That's why Slade had so much hope for his new apprentice.

He looked up at a video showing her signature drowning stunt she had pulled on him earlier that night. It was good, but it seemed to be all she had. Slade began formulating lesson plans in his mind that he would work with her in the upcoming week. To ensure a stronger fighter, he wasn't just going to further Mira's capability in her powers; he was going to make her into a person skilled in martial arts like himself. Yet another mistake he made with Terra was honing in only on what was previously given to her. Being versatile was vital, so the better Mira could be in fields other than her super-abilities, the better off she would be in the long run.

Slade typed up a list of things he would be going through with Mira over the next few days, adding in notes of things to watch for. In just a few short hours, their training would begin.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

BEEP

BEEP 

BEEP

BEEP

Mira grumbled trying to turn her watch alarm off while the one on her nightstand continued making a racket. Why couldn't alarm clocks play something pleasant? Who decided they had to wake people with that horrific beeping? "Hmph," she groaned, stretching her toes and climbing out of bed. She glared at the clock on the desk. "Way too loud."

She grabbed the outfit left in the closet and sluggishly made her way to the bathroom. She started brushing her teeth, looking around for some sort of hairbrush...ah. Under the sink was a box of cotton swabs, soap, toilet paper, a bag of elastics, a hairbrush, and some other hygiene items. She spit out the toothpaste and brushed through her hair, putting it into a low ponytail, and changing into the workout suit. Walking back into the bedroom, she grabbed the key-card and her watch off the nightstand.

6:22 AM

'Better get going,' she thought. Mira put on her sneakers and walked out. 'Let's see...' She looked around and headed down the hallway Slade had pointed to earlier. 'Then-a left?' A large closed door was just down that direction. Down right didn't have anything that looked like it could be a dining hall. Left it was then. 

She tried her key at the door. It opened. 'This must be it, then.'

6:27 AM

There was a long table in the middle of the room with chairs positioned at each head. She approached the one closest to her and sat down. Where was Slade? She looked around and then down at her watch.

6:29 AM

Mira looked at the bowl in front of her. Its contents were steaming slightly, and it looked a bit like oatmeal...but also quinoa. She wasn't sure if she wanted to eat it and instead looked back at her watch.

6:30 AM

"Good morning apprentice." Mira whipped her head up to see Slade standing at the other end of the table. "Morning," she replied simply; a little shaken from the sudden greeting. "Glad to see you were able to find your way." He said, sliding his chair out to take a seat. Mira just nodded. He raised a finger to the side of his mask and pushed something on it. The mask extended out a few inches, not enough for Mira to see his face, but enough it seemed, for him to eat a spoonful of...whatever had been served to them. She looked down at her bowl and prodded the food with her spoon. It jiggled. She held back the grimace her face instinctively made and scooped up a small amount. 

Slade peered at her from the other side of the table. "Ever had kasha before Mira?" She looked up at him and shook her head. "It is a common dish in Russia and other parts of Eastern Europe and Asia." He saw her apprehension. "I know it looks intimidating, but it is quite good. It also provides good carbohydrates and proteins that will get you through until lunch." She looked down at her spoon. "I suggest you eat it." He said, with a hint in his voice that made clear that it wasn't a suggestion, it was a command. She gulped and raised the morsel to her mouth, and chewed. It...wasn't actually that bad. It had a very nutty flavor and has comfortably chewy-a lot like a granola bar. They both sat in silence until they had their fill. 

Slade could see that Mira enjoyed the meal and was surprised to see over a quarter of it still in the bowl when they took their dishes to a counter on the other side of the room. When he asked her about this she simply said she was full and didn't want more. As he led her out and down a hall to where they would start the day's activities, he concluded that she likely wasn't used to eating much. She had lived on the street after all, and had quite a lean frame. Being lean in this profession was good, but she was too much so. She needed to build muscle and put on some weight so she wouldn't be so fragile and so that she could hold up her own in a fight. Slade made a mental note to adjust meals and exercises to accomplish that.

After a few minutes of walking and an elevator ride, they reached a large wooden door. "This," Slade began, "Is where we will train." He opened the door to reveal a massive room filled with an assortment of weights and exercise equipment. Punching bags lined the walls and wrestling mats took up a third of the room's floor with bo staffs and escrima sticks neatly stacked on them.

Mira's eyes widened.

'Oh boy.'


	5. A Hard Day's Night

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The following is a story about Slade's third attempt to gain an apprentice following the events of Trigon's defeat in the fiftieth episode of "Teen Titans." It an interpretation in which Deathstroke is able to return to mortality and continue his dominance in the world of crime as well as in his association with the Titans. Included will be encounters and battles with Slade and the teen heroes and the journey of him gaining the apprentice he always wanted. Story begins roughly eight months after the end of the fiftieth episode. Also available on Wattpad, DeviantArt, Quotev, and Fanfiction.net.

After going through the proper usage of all the equipment in the room and a breakdown of the lesson plan for the day, Mira found herself on the wrestling mat with Slade. They were both equipped with practice bo staffs that had either end furnished with a firm pillow-like casing thick enough to extend inches away from the actual rod. It was like a giant Q-Tip. Slade explained that this version of the staff was made for beginners and technical practicing, and until she got good at using it they wouldn't use traditional ones.

Mira stood trying to move to the form Slade had described and demonstrated. He looked at her second attempt at it. "Closer this time, but not quite right." He went around behind her and nudged her foot with his, making her stance wider. Coming around front he moved her right hand higher up the rod and elevated her left elbow. "That's better." He said, moving to get his staff. "Now," He started, getting into position, "I want you to give me all you have. Attack from any open-angle and avoid my blows to the best of your ability." 

Mira ran at Slade, staff raised over her shoulder to strike. It was easily blocked and almost knocked out of her hands, and in her peripheral vision, she saw an attack coming on her left. She jumped away and ducked to avoid another blow coming at her head. Swinging her staff upwards, she held an over-head charge Slade had attempted-and then got pushed to the ground from the force. "Not bad for your first spar apprentice." He complimented, offering Mira a hand up. She took it and resumed her stance. 

For the next hour, they continued practicing with Mira failing to hit Slade more times than he even tried. He got a handful of hits on her but for the most part, she was able to avoid it with the skill of a trained martial artist; something that came as a pleasant surprise to the criminal. 

Finished with the bo staff, Mira was directed to one of the many punching bags hanging by the wall. After showing her proper technique and form Slade picked out a set of gloves her size. "Here," he said, handing them over. "There is something I must attend to but I will observe your strikes until they are accurate and consistent. When they are I will leave. I should return in time to move on to our next lesson." Mira nodded and began hitting the bag. Her posture was good and she had a well-balanced stance but the thing just wasn't moving very far. The attacks were feeble despite her hitting them with what looked to be all her strength. With a few tips from Slade on how to punch with more force, the strikes became better but they still weren't great. 'Good enough for now,' He thought. "I will be back soon. Continue this exercise while I'm gone." He said, exiting the room.

Mira hit the bag over, and over again all while reflecting on the events that transpired over the last eight or so hours. Everything that was happening was real and not some dream like she originally guessed-otherwise her arms wouldn't be aching so much. It was frustrating, hitting the bag without it pushing back much, and Slade's suggestions definitely helped, but still. 

By the time Slade returned, Mira was most certainly tired out. She had only two breaks to just shake her arms out and catch a breath before returning back to the bag. Now the punches were becoming sloppy and missing their targets. Slade put a hand on her shoulder. "That's enough of that today, I think." Mira let out a small sigh of relief as he handed her a water bottle and cooling towel. "Your endurance is quite good," he stated, watching her guzzle the liquid. "Oh-thanks." She responded, catching her breath. "It is an important thing to have in my profession. You would do well to further it," Slade stated. Mira nodded, massaging her hands.

For the remainder of the morning, Mira was shown various forms of fighting and she used practice dummies to train. She discovered that she was quite good at push and crescent kicks; something Slade advised her to use to her advantage. That continued to lunch (rice and pad-Thai), which was followed by lessons in developing technical skills in operating basic machinery and learning to hack and code. That was something that mesmerized Mira, considering she didn't have much experience with electrical devices before then. After, they headed back to their training room.

On the way, Mira spoke. "Slade?" She asked, peering up at him as they walked. "Hmm?" he replied, keeping his eye ahead of them. "When are you going to show me how to use my powers better? You said you would in our deal." Hands folded behind his back, he responded. "Patience, apprentice. All in good time. It is better to save the best for last to keep your attention on what comes first." She found that a little irritating but made no vocal comment about it and followed him down the hall. 'I guess he has a point. But still.' She thought to herself as she again picked up her bo staff to spar with him the second time that day.

Not much improvement was made in that session, but Slade said the practice was the key to success and to continue despite little change. Dinner in the dining hall again (bratwursts and toasted bread this time) before they started down a new hallway to a room with a...pool? Mira looked around to see if there was anything that would be needed for aquatic sports or exercises. She didn't have a swimsuit. What could they be doing?

"What will we be doing here?" She questioned, looking at her tutor. Slade, who was placing various items around the room that he got from a closet in a corner looked over at her."Here," he began, "is where you will learn to master your abilities and begin to unlock your potential." He made his way around the pool, leaving things like water weights and stones behind him. "Tonight we will explore what exactly your water can do in the sense of interacting with other objects and beings." He circled back around to the entryway. "Yesterday you demonstrated your go-to defense mechanism with individuals, and since there aren't more of us down here, we will be using these things instead," he said, gesturing to the items laying by the pool's sides.

Mira's face lit up with excitement. 'Finally,' she thought. 'This is what I've been waiting for.' Slade watched her out the corner of his eye and saw his apprentice eagerly looking at the pool water. In places, it bubbled a bit, evidence to her enthusiasm. He smiled under his mask. Walking to a corner of the pool, hands folded behind his back, he looked at Mira.

"Ready to begin?" He asked her. She looked back and replied, determination in her gaze.

"Ready."


	6. Have you ever seen the rain?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The following is a story about Slade's third attempt to gain an apprentice following the events of Trigon's defeat in the fiftieth episode of "Teen Titans." It an interpretation in which Deathstroke is able to return to mortality and continue his dominance in the world of crime as well as in his association with the Titans. Included will be encounters and battles with Slade and the teen heroes and the journey of him gaining the apprentice he always wanted. Story begins roughly eight months after the end of the fiftieth episode. Also available on Wattpad, DeviantArt, Quotev, and Fanfiction.net.

Slade's head tilted down a little. "I want you to use the water to pick up as many items as you can. Just lift them all above the ground." Mira nodded, still looking at the pool. She took a few steps closer to it and raised both hands out. The sound of water sloshing and splashing echoed around the room as half of it lifted away from the surface, turning and tossing within itself. It churned and frothed as arms extended away from it, each one reaching for a different item; the objects each surrounded by a body of water and lifted away from the floor.

Mira looked at Slade with a small smile on her face. "Is that good?" She asked, eyes beginning to take on a bright glow. He took a step nearer to her. "Yes. That was step one. Now I want you to exchange each item with the one directly across from it." Mira's eyebrows scrunched together in concentration and she turned her gaze back to the levitating objects, raising her hands to shoulder level and in front of her. Taking this process a little slower than the first, she carefully navigated each thing to its place, accidentally knocking some against each other on the way, but never dropping them. Slade smiled watching her face light up in delight.

These exercises continued for the next few hours with tasks of a similar caliber, mainly just multi-tasking and getting smoother and quicker at doing them. Mira felt energized by the end of it and quite proud of what she had accomplished in one night but also very sore from the physical activities earlier. Finally done with the last practice, they put away the items they used and headed out. 

"Feel free to explore open areas until 10:00. I want you to get acquainted with this place. Lights out at 10:15," Slade said. "Just don't get lost." He added. Mira nodded. After he left for...wherever it was he went during the evening, she ran back to her room and opened her nightstand drawer. She found earlier that day that there were a notepad and pen inside and thought it would be helpful to make a map of the building until she got more accustomed to it. She checked her watch.

8:49 PM

'I'll give myself an hour to look around,' she thought. 'Hopefully, that will give me enough time to be back by 10:00.' She started wandering the hallways while making a rough sketch of the building and checking doors she could and couldn't get to and making notes about them. She found that she was allowed access to most, but others remained locked. Some interesting rooms she discovered included a boxing ring room, a library, a garage (containing an obscene amount of motorcycles), a sewing room, a medical lab, and a map room-which showed their location being on the shoreline of a place in "Jump City." She'd never heard of it but was able to spot the town she had been in yesterday-almost 600 miles away. 'No wonder it took so long to get here,' she thought, studying it. She wanted to stay longer but her desire to investigate more of the facility got the best of her, so she left.

After taking an elevator up two levels higher than where her bedroom was, she explored the floor it led to. Most doors here were locked but she wanted to check each one to get an accurate drawing of the building. 'Well,' she thought, looking down the hall to another metal door. 'Last one.' She checked her watch.

9:32 PM

'Better hurry if I want to get back in time,' she said to herself putting her card to the keypad. To her surprise, it opened. She gasped. It was a garden on what seemed to be a deck of sorts, but more importantly, it was outside. She looked out at the remaining sunlight touching the sand on the shore. She smiled with an open mouth and sat on the fence surrounding the garden. Seeing thick clouds above her, she closed her eyes and relaxed. One by one, gentle raindrops began to fall from the sky and moisten the beach and the city. Mira felt the cool water run down her face and hands (which were lightly glowing a turquoise blue) and took a deep breath. For once in her life, she had some order, something to focus on and give attention to. Someone to make proud. She sat like this for a few minutes before checking the time.

9:40 PM

'Gotta go,' she thought, hopping off the fence and hurrying inside. The rain stopped a few minutes later.

She didn't know it, but Slade was watching her exploration through cameras he kept throughout the facility, monitoring her progress and observing her outside expedition. He gazed at the rain dripping from the roof and the puddles building on the deck. "Stamina indeed." He said to himself. "This one will go far," he remarked, turning away from the surveillance monitors after watching her enter her room.

Mira went through her nighttime routine and climbed into bed, arms folded under her neck. She smiled up at the ceiling. 'What a good day,' she thought to herself, stretching under the covers. 'Except for that,' she winced, feeling her sore muscles beginning to ache, trying to heal after the strenuous events from the day. She yawned and felt her eyelids start to droop. Her mind drifted off to dreaming, her last coherent thoughts being, 'Wonder what's for breakfast...'


	7. Like a bridge over troubled water

Mira crossed another box off her calendar. Slade had given it to her a few days ago, and she had been keeping close track of the date since then. 'Five weeks,' she thought to herself, putting on the lid of her red marker. 'I've been here training for five weeks.' In that short time, many changes had occurred. She had put on some weight and now had some shape instead of her previous bony look, and her arms and legs had grown much more muscular. Her diet had matured as well. Slade seemed to enjoy more exotic foods and since she was required to eat what was given to her, she had to adjust to a new palate. It was certainly better and more substantial than street and fast food, and she particularly enjoyed Eastern cuisine-namely curries and naan which had nutritional value and made her feel full enough to get through the day.

Slade had given her a twenty-minute break before the evening activities and so she had come back to her room to doodle and hang out until then. Generally, they did training for her to better use her powers with the occasional outside expedition to learn to operate vehicles like helicopters and motorcycles. He didn't say what the plan was for that night, but she was fine with that. She sat on the bed and stretched out her legs. All they did today was running. So. Much. Running. Mira didn't mind cardio, she actually really enjoyed biking. But when you jog and sprint for more than a few hours then...things hurt. She exhaled before hearing Slade's voice over her communicator bud telling her to come down to the garage. 

'Need to get his thing fixed,' she thought, adjusting the bud in her ear. 'It's glitching in and out again.' She hopped down the stairs leading down to their hangar and put her key to the door. It opened and she walked inside, spotting Slade standing in a corner, typing something on a laptop. "Good evening," she said, walking over to him. "Indeed," he replied, closing it and looking up at her. "Here," he said, giving her a motorcycle key. "We'll be going outside tonight and I figured you'd be more than tired to run again. We'll be riding to our destination." She nodded and walked over to her bike, putting a helmet on. She was glad she dressed warmer, wearing an orange and white training jacket Slade gave her a few weeks ago. It would be a cool evening and they'd be driving fast.

Mira's hair whipped around her head as she followed Slade down the road to the beach, her hands starting to stiffen around the handlebars from the cold. She looked around. The sun was halfway gone over the ocean in the distance and the palm trees rustled in a breeze. The sky was cascaded in a wave of pinks and oranges with the dark blue coming in with stars. Clouds lay facing away from the sun, seemingly pulling away from its light. 'What a beautiful evening,' Mira thought to herself as she hurtled down the deserted road. She had been down this direction a few different times with Slade to practice driving things and he said liked this area because no one seemed to be down here ever. She had figured out by this point that he, like her, wasn't the kind to be around other people-namely normal people who didn't spend the entire day working out, learning to hack super-computers, and practice using water powers.

Slade started to slow, and Mira followed, pushing on the brakes to a smooth 30 miles per hour. He turned down a small concrete path into the trees, quickly disappearing into them. She slowed even further and carefully navigated through the greenery, continually ducking to avoid low hanging branches and leaves. When she finally reached the end of it, she discovered herself not two-hundred feet from the shoreline. Slade was down by the waves, securing his motorcycle. Mira drove down to him and did the same. "What are we doing here?" She asked. "Patience. You'll see soon enough. I don't want to...excite you prematurely." Was his answer.

By the time Mira had finished with her bike, she noticed a small motor-boat bouncing on the waves a few feet from the shore. Slade started to it, motioning for her to follow. She jogged over, wincing as her calves gave a vivid reminder of all the exercise from earlier that day. The water was cold as she waded in after him, climbing into the boat. Slade sat down in the driver's seat and started it, steering out into the open ocean. Mira felt the wind blowing her hair long out behind her and she squinted her eyes to see where they were going. Within minutes, they were out far enough that they could barely see the beach. She looked over at Slade expectantly.

"Have you ever used water to support yourself?" He asked. She cocked her head to the side a little. "To support myself? Like, float?"

"In a way. For instance, to stand or walk on water?" Mira shook her head. Slade nodded and stood up. "That is the goal today. I want to test the possibilities of your power as you know, and this is something I've wondered ever since I began training you." He looked out at the water. "I decided against doing this exercise in the pool because I wanted to push you past your comfort zone. I also supposed that the high salt content of the sea would aid you in trying this."

He stepped onto the back deck of the boat. "Come, apprentice." He said. Mira didn't move. She was frozen in place, hands gripping her seat, heart racing. Slade looked back at her. She wasn't one to disobey orders; unlike Robin and Terra. He had yet to run into any sort of those problems with her, but now here he was. It was bound to happen sooner or later.

"What is it?" He asked. Her face paling, she stammered, "I-I'm afraid of deep water." He paused. "But you can control it. Why would you be afraid?" She gulped and peered over the side of the boat. "I don't know. I just am." He eyed her, moving a step closer to her. "Can you swim?" She shook her head.

The sheer ridiculousness of the situation was starting to get to Slade. But, he was a patient man. Mira had thus far proven herself to be a loyal and hard-working student. So, he would work with it. "We discovered two weeks ago that breathing in water isn't a problem for you. Drowning would not be an issue." She was still looking over the boat. "I know. That's not what I'm scared about." She said in a whisper. Slade stepped into the main body of the boat. "Then what is it that worries you?" He asked, crouching down a little to see her better. Her knees now tucked into her chest, arms wrapped around them, she closed her eyes and shuddered. "It's so deep. The bottom is so far. And it's so dark." She had begun to shake a little. "If I started sinking, I wouldn't be able to swim back up. I'd just fall, but I wouldn't drown. I'd be down there until I froze to death. In the cold. In the dark. Alone."

At this point, her shaking was very apparent and Slade noticed. He crouched down completely, looking at her face now buried in her knees and put a hand on her shoulder. "Mira." He said, looking at her. She lifted her face up, eyes watering. "Do you really think I would let that happen to you? Do you really have that little faith in yourself? In me?" She paused for a moment and then softly shook her head. "If I were to do that then I would be demonstrating little regard for your safety and all the work we have put in into fulfilling your potential. Would that make sense?" She shook her head again. "I know you can try. And I know you'll be safe. You are a strong young woman with more determination than any other youth your age can muster."

He stood up. "If you really think you can't do this-and I know you can-then we will quit for the night and try again another time. It is up to you." Mira looked back over at the water and gulped. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "I...I'll do it." She spoke with a waver in her voice. "Just-promise you won't let me sink." She said, looking intently at her teacher. "I promise," He stated, looking calmly back at her. She shakily stood up and stepped out to the deck. Slade came up behind her. "For this, I want you to go beyond the boundaries of what we have practiced in the past. Imagine the water holding you. It is yours and no one else's. It will help you."

Mira gingerly extended a foot out to the rocking waves, keeping one hand firmly on the boat. She felt it getting wet-and cold. The water was such a dark blue; almost black. The sun by now had almost completely set and the stars were taking their seats in the sky. Her breathing quickened. She closed her eyes and inhaled slowly. The exhale quivered, but she was already a little calmer. Silently she spoke to the water, and without a word conveyed her desire. Beneath closed eyelids, a soft glow emanated. Mira could feel the water subtly flowing around the bottom of her foot, smoothing out under her. She put a little more weight on it and found she wasn't sinking. She opened her eyes and looked at Slade, then back down. She pushed herself away from the boat and stepped out into the water. She gasped and flung her arms out to balance herself. Slade caught them. Mira looked up at him, eyes luminous with a small grin on her face.

"Look at you," Slade said with a smile in his voice. He was indeed smiling under his mask. This was a big leap forward for both of them. "Yeah," Mira laughed, "Look at me." She straightened up more and slowly let loose her grip on him and stood. She looked down and saw beautiful spirals of cyan and turquoise flooding from under her feet. She took a step back and the light followed. She started to walk around in circles backward, looking down at the water all a-glow. She laughed and now started to run all over around the boat, giggling and whooping. Slade watched her prancing around the water and felt pride swelling in his chest. Mira came back around with light dancing in her eyes, a huge grin on her face.

She looked at Slade. "I can hold you too," she said. He paused, thinking about the metal armor around him. If she could, then it wouldn't be a problem. If not...he'd sink. Easily. Probably should have considered that before getting on the boat. But if he didn't let her try, that would ruin the promised trust she believed he had in her. The trust he did have. Slade looked down at the water then back at her. "You're sure it won't be too much for you?" He asked. She shook her head. "Just come out onto it," She said, hands extended for him to take. He took a cautious step out onto the waves, gently putting his hands in hers. He didn't sink. He let his other foot come out. It was so odd; he affected the water but the water didn't affect him. He wasn't getting wet, but he was making ripples and small rifts in it. 'Extraordinary,' he thought to himself.

He took his hands away from Mira's and put one on her shoulder. "Miraculous child," he said. "You are destined for many great things." She humbly smiled. "And you didn't think you could do it," he said, looking at her. She chuckled. "Guess I shouldn't doubt myself so much." He smiled. "No. No, you shouldn't." He looked out around them. The sun was now gone and the stars were reigning in their heavenly thrones. "Well, apprentice. We have accomplished what we had set out to do tonight. Let's go home." She nodded and they both climbed into the boat.

Before taking the driver's seat, Slade looked at her. "Tonight you not only pushed yourself from your comfort zone to do something great, but you also proved something to me." He paused. "I have tried this with others in the past. Apprenticeship. I have never had as much success with them as I already have with you. This wasn't just an exercise. It was a demonstration of faith and loyalty. You showed me you were ready for anything. You obeyed and went beyond your fears to do what I asked." He stepped closer to her. "Tonight you have truly become my apprentice. From now on I will be your master." Mira stood and bowed her head. She looked back up at him. "There is no greater honor. Thank you. Master." Slade smiled under his mask. He took his seat and started the boat in the direction of home. Mira watched him and smiled. She looked up at the stars.

'Thank you,' she thought to herself. She felt more at peace than she had ever been in her life. She felt a comfortable warmth in her chest, and she knew. She was home.


	8. Yo-Ho, A Pirate's Life For Me

Mira woke to both her alarms ringing at seven AM. Having slept on her stomach, she raised her head and flopped her hand on the "OFF" button on the nightstand clock. She yawned and sat up, fingering through her frizzy hair in an attempt to smooth it, then stretched and hopped out of bed. Making her way to the shower, she undressed and grabbed a towel and robe, hanging them next to the door, and stepped in. The hot water splashed onto her face and shoulders, running down the rest of her body. She smiled and hummed. There was nothing like a morning shower. Except, of course, an evening bath.

Pumping a tablespoon of shampoo from its container, she yawned again and started scrubbing at her hair, singing a little tune to herself. Slade said today was a break day, and that breakfast would be at eight instead of the usual time. There had only been two other break days in the earlier weeks, and they were relaxing, so she was grateful for the opportunity for another. After rinsing out the shampoo, she applied conditioner and thought about what she'd want to do that day. Last time she spent most of her free time in the map room, pouring over charts of secret tunnels, hideouts, and other destinations that intrigued her. Today felt like a library day. She hadn't spent as much time there as she would have liked, but now she could. She had taught herself to read when she was young, picking out old books from dumpsters and learning letters and words, quizzing herself with the occasional audio-book that would accompany them.

She turned off the water and stepped out of the shower stall, drying herself with a towel, then putting on her fluffy blue robe. She wrapped a smaller towel around her hair, doing it up over her head, then brushed her teeth. When she stepped back into her bedroom, she shivered. The steam containing the warmth in the bathroom seeped out. She speed-walked to her closet, getting dressed quickly and hurrying back to the bathroom to blow-dry her hair. She finished at seven-fifty.

Mira walked down to the dining hall, taking her seat and waiting for Slade to arrive. She looked at her plate and grinned. On it was various cheeses, cold cut meats, toast, and marmalade. Some of her favorites. She checked her watch.

8:00 AM

She heard a chair scraping the floor and looked up to see Slade taking his seat. His timing was impeccable. "Apprentice." He said, turning his head to her and tapping the button on his mask. "Master." She responded. They ate and spoke little, and Mira felt pleasantly full by the end of it. Before they finished cleaning up, Slade looked over at her. "Meet me here in eight hours. Do not be late." She nodded and replied, "Yes, Master," setting her plate on a counter-top and giving a small bow before exiting the room.

Mira walked to the library and opened its doors. Strolling up and down the isles, she tapped her chin in thought, looking for a title that intrigued her, hand running down the books as she wandered past them. Her eyes traveled over the leather-bound volumes, reading their names. "Lord of the Flies,""Ender's Game,""Frankenstein,""Fahrenheit 451", and "The Invisible Man" to name a few. She stopped and pulled out a larger book, "Treasure Island." She turned it over, scanning the summary and genre, then examining its cover. A Victorian-age ship froze crashing over turbulent waves with a signature pirate flag flapping over it. Clouds and eagles surrounded it all and a burly man stood sword drawn at the ship's head. She hummed and settled with it, sauntering over to an armchair by a hollow fireplace. 

Mira tossed a few logs into the hearth and lit them with matches from the mantelpiece. A fire sprung up and danced inside it and she moved back to her chair. She tucked her legs in front of her and propped the heavy book on her knees and began to read. Pages turned and minutes passed, the fire dyed once with Mira re-lighting it. She left it for lunch but returned as soon as she could, racing through the adventures of Jim Hawkins and John Silver, and before she knew it, she had finished it. Sighing, she looked at the time.

4:13 PM

Her eyes widened.'Shoot!' She thought, slamming the book closed and dashing out down the hallway to the dining hall. She was supposed to be there in two minutes, and she remembered Slade's warning. "Do not be late." Her legs burned as she raced around corners and up stairs, skipping the elevator and rushing to her destination. Seeing it up ahead, she hurried to it and burst through its door, finally halting with hands on her knees, huffing and sweating. She checked her watch.

4:15 PM

She let out a sigh of relief and smiled, still wheezing. A voice spoke on her right. "Apprentice, you know better. You'll breathe easier standing straight." Her head whipped up to see Slade standing there. How was he so good at sneaking up on her? She stood up and got out a "Yes, Master." He glanced down at her hand. "Treasure Island, hmm?" He questioned. "Huh?" Mira responded, looking down. The book was still in her grasp, tucked clumsily under her arm. "Uh-yes. I found it in the library," she said. He nodded. "It's a good one. Fine choice." Slade looked down the table and pressed a button on a remote control he held. A piece of wall behind his chair extended and flipped around, revealing a large screen. He motioned for Mira to follow him as he walked towards it. 

On it was a map depicting what Mira recognized as Portland, Oregon. It wasn't insanely far from where they were, but it was far enough. Slade pointed to a specific building near its edge. "This is where we'll be going tonight." He said. "It's a LexCorp Industry specializing in futuristic technology. There are some things we'll be...borrowing from them." The screen changed to show a metal cylinder decorated with circles and lines running up it, glowing a purple-pink at either end. "This is our target and first mission." He said. "We leave in ten minutes. Meet me on landing pad two. Take care of anything that you need to before we go." Mira nodded and left to her bedroom.

After entering she laid her book down on her bed and opened the drawer on her nightstand. Inside was her beloved necklace. She hadn't worn it much since her arrival but decided to take it for good luck. She shoved it in her pocket and jogged to their meeting place. She was only allowed on landing pad one, so she had never been on this one, but she knew where it was. Pressing her card onto the keypad, the familiar ding and sound of the door opening greeted her. She stepped out and saw a mini-jet parked in the garage, ready to go. Slade was already inside, getting it ready for flight. 'Where does he get all of this stuff?' Mira thought, walking up the steps leading to its entry. Mentally slapping herself, she remembered what it was they were doing that evening. 'He steals it. Duh,' She said in her head. 'Or maybe just steals money to buy it?' 

She half shrugged to herself, now inside the plane. Slade looked behind him at her, passing a small card-stock box. "Here," He said. "I thought tonight you'd need an upgrade to your suit. There's a changing room down the aisle." She thanked him and headed to it, opening its thin door and locking it. She sat on a bench that was against the wall and opened the box, pulling out the clothes inside. 

It was a lot like spandex, but thicker. The top was mostly black, with the top half of the sleeves the same orange as Slade's mask. The collar was high and its bottom half was also orange, it being a line leading down to the belt with two angles leading off around the chest to its shoulders. The pants were completely black and so were the knee-high boots-apart from its cuffs being orange as well, the same deal with the gloves. She put it on. Next was the belt full of gadgets and weapons, then armor plates for her biceps, forearms, upper legs, sides, and shoulders. After that was a black mask that exposed her eyes, most of her forehead, nose, lower cheeks, mouth, and chin. Last was a small plate embossed with Slades's signature 'S.' It was detachable, she found, hooking it on a small circle right below her left shoulder. She pulled her necklace from the pocket of her other clothes and put it on, tucking it under her suit. She looked at her reflection in the mirror hanging on the door. 'Wow,' She thought. 'I look good.' She frowned for a moment before pulling her hair out of its ponytail. That was the only hairdo she had done for weeks...but man. It looked amazing down. 'There we go,' She said to herself, smiling.

Mira walked out of the changing room and over to the cockpit where Slade was finishing flight preparations. He turned to look at her. "My my. That outfit suits you very well Apprentice." She smiled and bowed. "Here," Slade said, giving Mira a small tablet. "Look over this while we go. It will give you information on our route, surveillance, guards, and their other safety measures so you'll know what to expect." She nodded and walked to one of the seats closer to the front of the plane and sat down, buckling up. She tapped the screen and began examining the plan. 

Forty-five minutes later she had finished her fifth time looking over it. She wanted to make sure she had everything down and wouldn't make any stupid mistakes on her first mission. They would be landing on a private runway that belonged to an old friend of Slade's where it would be secured and fixed up for the ride home. While that would be happening, they would take motorbikes up a forest path to LexCorp, disable the electric fence, hop it, and go to a vent shaft near the back where there weren't any video-cameras. They would crawl through it to the hallway nearest to their target. After, it would be a manner of dodging lasers and freezing the surveillance cameras. To their knowledge, there were only supposed to be two guards at the entrance to the room they needed to get into, but Slade wasn't completely sure about it, so instead it would be better to expect way more of them. Once they got past that and got the device, all they would need to do is get out the way the came in. Simple, right?

Ten minutes later they landed and sped away to their next destination. Sure enough, there it was. A LexCorp Industry building. It was large and grey, made of painted over metal. Slade explained that a large portion of the metal was actually a thin layer of lead, and when Mira questioned why, he merely shook his head and chuckled leaving her even more confused. He disabled a small sector of the fence and they jumped it, silently landing and running to the vents. It was bigger than she anticipated, large enough for her to comfortably crouch inside it and enough for Slade to go on his hands and knees. They quickly made their way through it, making many turns and being careful going over vent doors that showed the floor below it along with the occasional scientist in a lab coat. 

Finally reaching their desired opening, Slade quietly lifted its door and fell through it. Mira followed, landing softly and silently. In front of them was a long hallway leading to a metal door with crisscrossing lasers going every-which-way. Slade went first, jumping and dodging the lasers with ease. Mira went a little slower but gracefully flipped and crawled through it, joining her master at the hallway's end. Slade pulled out a device from his belt and hooked it up to the door's keypad. Numbers sped through it before aligning to its desired code, causing the door to pop open with a hiss.

They took a cautious step inside and both immediately spotted separate surveillance cameras. Without a word, they each pulled a dark-colored boomerang from their belts and swiftly threw them, hitting the cameras with a quiet crash causing electricity to blitz. They turned a corner and saw the last door at the end of the hallway with four guards manning it. Slade and Mira drew their bo-staffs and ran at them. The guards barely had time to yell before they were thwacked over their heads, knocked out almost instantly. Mira plucked the ID and key-card off one of the fallen men and set it to its pad. The door opened smoothly revealing several devices inside a white room. Each was within its own clear cylinder, set atop a metal stand. 

They all looked incredibly intriguing and Mira was almost tempted to explore before spotting the target of their mission. There it was-metal and all, beautifully glowing at either end. Slade walked over to it and looked over at Mira who followed. She examined it and saw a button on its top. She raised her hand to it, looking at her master for approval. He nodded and she pressed it, causing the protective glass to sink into the stand, allowing access to the device. She grabbed it and carefully set it into the protective case they brought. Mira looked up at Slade and smiled. He tucked his hands behind his back and said, "Well Apprentice, why don't we show ourselves out the door?"

They began walking out before Mira heard something behind them. Faster than the blink of an eye, she whipped out her bo-staff and turned around to meet one of the guards who had come to and brought three others with him. Two of them aimed their guns at her, but before they had time to fire she shoved the staff into the gut of one, knocking the air out of him and elbowed the other in the face, causing him to howl and grip his eye in pain. She swept her foot under the knees of another, causing him to fall backwards while the last man threw a fist at her. Mira easily dodged it and returned one of her own, hitting him upside his jaw. One guard clumsily got back to his feet only to be kicked to the wall with the crack of bones breaking. The remaining men who were still conscious were quickly put out with a sharp hit over the head, all while Slade stood and watched. 

"Nicely done," he commented. "Though I would have gone for the larger one first." Mira chuckled. "That would have been better." She said. They furtively made their way back out of the facility without attracting further attention and were soon back in the plane going home. Mira handed Slade the device still in its casing. He opened it and its pink-purple light illuminated his mask. "Very good work tonight Apprentice. I'm pleased." He smiled, proud as ever. "Thank you, Master," She said, trying to suppress her growing grin. She gave a small bow and went to her seat. She checked the time.

8:15 PM

She sighed happily and looked out her window. The plane took off, soaring into clouds and stars. Mira watched it all pass by and thought about the past few hours and their successful mission. Her mind quickly drifted and she cupped her chin in her hand, smiling and gazing at the beautiful sky, dreaming of pirates and lost treasure.


	9. A Little Birdie Told Me

Mira whizzed down the empty street on her motorcycle, the wind blowing her hair far behind her, speedily passing the streetlights on the side of the road. Her eyes narrowed under her mask as she spotted her target; a multinational bank in the outermost parts of Jump City. This was her first mission alone-she had gone on two others with Slade before now for experience, so now she was out by herself with a bud in her ear, communicating guidance from her master. 

She slowed the bike until it purred softly and steered into a thick spot of trees a few blocks from the bank. Ensuring it was well hidden and secured, she crept through alley-way shadows until she was across the street from the building's entrance. Her goal tonight was to steal account passwords and source codes from the main database via a small chip-drive and leave as quickly as possible. She looked at her watch.

11:28 PM

The bank would be finished shutting down in two minutes. Then, she would begin. Mira heard Slade's voice over her earbud. "Take off your emblem, Apprentice. If anyone shows, I don't want them seeing our affiliation...not yet."

Mira looked down at the plate on her chest and removed it, placing it in one of the pouches on her belt. The clanging of metal caused her to whip her head up to the bank, watching steel doors slide over its windows. Two men left through the entrance, locking the doors behind them. Mira watched them walk down the street for a moment before climbing the alley-wall. Now at its roof, she walked backward a few steps before sprinting, leaping gracefully off it to the bank's walls. Two hooks extended from cuffs under her wrists and she used them to anchor herself to the building. Silently, she crawled up the rest of the way before reaching the top. Mira spotted her next target; the roof-door. Pulling a pen-shaped object from her belt, she got to work burning the lock with a laser. Within minutes, the thing had melted, falling to the ground with a soft clang. She furtively opened the door and slid inside.

Slinking down stairwells and through darkened hallways, she made her way to where she wanted to be-the database room. Once again pulling out her laser, she destroyed its lock and entered. A few computers, several file cabinets, and a neatly organized desk awaited her. Shoving away the swirl-chair, she stood in front of the computer and located the main console. There, a small opening lay. She pulled the chip from her belt and shoved it inside, turning to start up the computer. She didn't have access to its actual passwords, so instead Slade helped her craft a substitute beforehand. She bit her lower lip as she typed it in...

...

...

...

Password Accepted

She breathed a sigh of relief as she booted up its systems, clicking her way to the computer's files. There they were, all the pass-codes and sources she was looking for, ready to be taken. Mira pressed a button on the keyboard and watched as the downloading process began. This would take a few minutes, and she hoped it would be enough time. The substitute password would only hold for a little while, and if she was still on it by the time it was identified, the security manager would take over. The minutes seemed slow as she waited for the bar to go all the way...until-

BLITZ

The brightness of the computer screen instantly faded to black as everything in the room went dark. "What's happening, Apprentice?" Came Slade's voice, apparent of her panic. "I don't know," she responded, quickly pulling the chip from its insert and running out of the room. "It turned off," she said, slowing to put the item into her belt. "Perhaps our password didn't last as long as I predicted. Get out of there quickly, before-" Her master began, cut off by alarms blaring. "Crap," Mira muttered, dashing up the stairs to the top. Bursting through the door, she ran to the edge of the roof and jumped, landing on another before she halted.

Had she kept going, she would have run into him. A boy stood ahead of her, arms crossed, cape blowing. She recognized him instantly-Robin. Her master had recounted his experiences with this hero, teaching Mira everything the boy had shown him so that she would be ready to combat him when the time came-she never expected it to come so soon, however. 

"Who are you?" He asked, letting his arms fall to his sides. Mira didn't answer, instead narrowing her eyes threateningly. Robin glanced past her to the bank, whose alarms were still in a frenzy, police sirens approaching it. "I'll ask you one more time. Who are you?" He said firmly, taking a step nearer. No answer. The boy sighed. "Okay..." he muttered in an exasperated voice, walking briskly over to her. He reached a hand out to grab her wrist but was met with a swift kick upside the chin, knocking him to the ground. He sat up, hand holding his jaw, frowning. He sprung to his feet and ran towards her, hand pulled into a fist. She ducked and felt a blow hit her abdomen, backing away before having a punch of her own be grabbed and turned away from him. They danced around on the roof, Robin successfully blocking most of her attacks while she merely dodged his.

Minutes later, they ended up a good distance away from each other, and Mira prepared to sprint back towards him before hearing a voice emit from a box on his belt. "Robin! Are you alright? Do you need backup?" A woman said, high-pitched and frantic. Robin ducked his head to press the receiving button on his communicator. Mira took that chance to leap from the roof down to the street. "I-" The boy began, looking back up to be met with an empty roof. "No...she's gone," he said quietly, wind ruffling his hair. His eyes narrowed. "I think we're gonna have to keep more eyes open now Star," he said, watching police enter from the bank's rooftop door.

Mira sprinted through traffic, jumping on-top vehicles all the way back to the alley-ways, running back to the motorcycle. She hopped on it, shoving her helmet over her head and revved the engine, speeding out back onto the road. "I'm sorry, Master. I don't think we got everything we wanted tonight," she said into her earpiece. Slade's deep voice came over in response.

"Oh, I think we did, Apprentice. I truly believe we did."


	10. Silhouette

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hi! I'm not usually one to add music into chapters, but this one seemed to fit really well. Completely optional, but highly recommended. Thanks for reading!
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jqiONhGGCzk

Mira's lips curled into a frown, eyes intently watching the TV screen before her. The channel was a news broadcast, displaying honorary videos for "Hero Appreciation Month," showing clips of masked (or not) crusaders and their heroic moments from the past year. There were many people there she recognized. Flash, Batman, Wonder-Woman, Superman, Hawk-girl, Green Lantern, Aquaman, Martian Manhunter, Green Arrow, Supergirl, Batgirl...the Titans. The last ones on the screen were Robin and his team, triumphantly standing over a band of professional burglars as police moved to handcuff them. 

The pencil Mira had been tightly gripping in her right hand suddenly snapped, bits of wood flying. She grunted, moving to pick up the splinters on the ground when a figure appeared by her chair. 

"Feeling angry, are we?"

"My apologies, master," the girl murmured, standing to face Slade. The man looked at the TV, his eye narrowing at the sight of wall art displayed in appreciation for the nation's heroes. "I sympathize, Apprentice."

Mira sighed, holding tightly to the pieces of wood in her hand as her eyebrows furrowed. "Why do they worship these...people like Gods? They aren't. Don't they realize that their "heroes" could turn to crime as well? That they could do nothing to stop it if they did? Their foolish trust is misplaced."

Slade placed a hand on the girl's shoulder, head turning to face her. "Your wisdom never ceases to impress me. You are exactly right, my girl. Which is why I chose you-your potential would be wasted following their path, but you've already found the one that suits you. Remember that." 

Slade left, the door closing behind him as Mira refocused her eyes on the TV. Robin's masked eyes looked back at her, unmoving. She growled under her breath.

"Until we meet again, Bird-Boy."

The week following was full of parades and parties held in honor for the Titans in Jump City. Streamers and confetti were littered on the streets, no-one seemingly bothered enough to pick up after it, the colored decorations becoming filthier and filthier with each passing day.

Mira rolled her eyes at the sight, walking through the outskirts of town. The sun shone brightly around her, making her more anxious than usual. Not in the safety and cover of darkness, the girl kept to shadows as she slipped in and out of alleyways, making her way to her destination.

Today's mission wasn't a big deal, just a simple money exchange for a device she had stolen days prior. She was meant to meet with a man near the Capitol, trade the device for the cash card, then go home. The trick was getting around the crowds of people massing on the sidewalks, doing chalkart for "Hero Appreciation Month." Still in her normal outfit, she'd stick out like a sore thumb. Not to mention the Titans were meeting with the mayor today at Town Hall, practically across the street from the Capitol. What should have been easy was now more difficult than it had to be. 

Finally to her destination, the private gardens behind the grand building at which she was meant to meet, she waited impatiently for her 'customer'. Nearly ten minutes later, a hooded figure walked up to her, being horrendously indiscreet as he did so. 

In a nasally voice, the man held out a hand for the device. "You've got it?"

Mira huffed, rolling her eyes as she pushed herself from the shed she was leaning on, arms folded across her chest. "You're late."

"So?" 

"Just not good business. I've got your doo-hickey right here. Do you have my money?"

The man shoved his hand into his pocket, pulling out a scratched-up card. 

"How do I know that thing has what you promised? Or that it still even works?" Mira asked, skeptically looking at the pathetic disc.

"Look," the man said, taking a metal box from his other pocket. He shoved the card inside and the box revealed a screen, displaying the amount of money they had agreed upon. Mira frowned.

"Here," she said, tossing the device to the man. He gave a weird laugh, giving her the card as he heedlessly backed up. 

Mira pocketed the disc, not looking up as she secured it in her pocket. "I'd say 'pleasure doing business with you', but it hasn't exactly-hey!" 

The man, not looking where he was going, had backed into the garden door, walking over a protective alarm system. Sirens began blaring loudly, and the guy yelped, looking up at the fences in surprise.

"Idiot!" Mira yelled, whipping around to the man as he frantically threw the door open, clumsily running out over the lawns of the Capitol. She gritted her teeth, dashing out the open entrance to the road, leaping over cars as she ran to an alleyway. She suddenly halted, a quivering bird-a-rang sticking from the wall in front of her face. 

Mira looked the direction the weapon had come from, seeing a colorfully decorated boy across the street. She growled, ducking under the bird-a-rang and into the alleyway. She leapt over garbage cans and and clutter, making sharp twists and turns in a desperate escape. She didn't know where exactly she was going, all she knew was that she had to run. Turning into a new one, she could see the beach ahead, ocean waves washing up onto the shores. She picked up her speed, preparing to dart out towards it before Robin jumped down in front of her from a rooftop. 

"Who are you?" He asked, arms crossed, eyes narrowed. "You've been stealing stuff in Jump City for the past month, but we haven't exactly gotten properly acquainted yet," he said lowly, his tone threatening.

"Never really had the chance," Mira replied, venom practically dripping from her words. "How about we try now?" Robin spoke, arms dropping to his sides.

"Thanks, but I'm not interested," Mira said, leaping up to the fire-exit stairway next to her, expertly jumping over the boy from them. Her heart beat loudly in her ears, her legs began to burn more as she sprinted to the ocean. She could hear Robin behind her, quickly gaining. Suddenly, her feet came out from under her as a bow-staff swept them down. She rolled over, spitting out sand to see the boy holding the staff inches from her neck.

"Well, I am. Who are you?" Robin said, leaning his head down slightly as he looked at the girl. 

Mira's lips curled into a frown, about to make a snark reply before Slade's voice came in over her ear-bud.

"Go ahead, Apprentice. Tell him, since he's so eager."

She huffed, arms supporting her as she leaned up a little, hesitating before looking up at the boy. "My name is Mira." Robin cocked his head to the side. "How old are you?" He questioned, relaxing his grip on his staff. "Who wants to know?" She retorted, sitting up. 

"I do."

Mira glanced away for a second before quietly replying. "Fourteen." Robin's eyes widened a little in surprise as he lowered his staff completely. "Kinda young to be this involved in crime," he said.

"Why's it matter to you?" She asked angrily, getting to her feet. 

"It's just...odd. Are you working for someone? You know a lot about fighting. And stealing. Someone must be teaching you." The boy asked.

"What is this, twenty questions? Why haven't you taken me in yet?" Mira replied, getting progressively more agitated.

Robin hesitated before answering. "People this young doing stuff that you're doing can usually be helped. I want to help you." Mira gave a humorless laugh, rolling her eyes. "Well, news-flash, Wonder Boy, but I'm not interested. Life's pretty good right now, and it sure isn't coming from living a goody-two-shoes way."

Robin's eyes narrowed a bit in sadness, almost. "Come on. I'll take you to people who can help you. You won't even have to do prison or juvie. We can get you what you need, we can get you back to your parents." Mira sighed, putting a hand over her eyes, removing her mask.

"Look. I don't have a family. Never did. I'm don't even exist, according to the government, no identification whatsoever. And for the last time, I don't want your help." 

Robin's mouth opened, then closed. "Please, really." He said, holding out a hand to her. Mira rolled her eyes. "Okay, you know what? I'm done. You can't seem to get it through that thick head of yours that I don't need you or your petty government friends. I'm leaving."

Robin quickly grabbed her arm, frowning. "Can't let you do that."

Mira growled. "Fine."

Her eyes instantly flashed a glowing, electric blue as the waves from the ocean rose up next to her, flowing around her form and straight into Robin. His hold on her broke as he was sent flying away from her, roughly landing on his back. A girl's frantic voice called to him, and Mira looked to see the rest of the Titans approaching from the direction they came. 

Robin sat up, angrily glaring up at Mira as she rose up into the air, silently commanding the ocean to hold her. His team stood behind him, Starfire helping him to his feet. 

"Know this!" Mira called, putting a hand into a pouch on her belt. "Next time you want someone on your side, don't abandon them before they are powerful enough to threaten you!"

She pulled out the glistening metal 'S' that showed her allegiance to her master, hooking it in its place on her chest. "Otherwise, someone else will get to them before you do." Starfire gasped, all of her team-mates eyes widening in shock as Robin simply shook his head, mumbling words of denial. 

Mira lowered herself to the ocean's surface, gliding on it away faster than any of the Titans could have caught up to her. Not that they made any moves to follow. They all stood in unbelief, frozen as thoughts and memories raced through their minds.

"It's not possible-"

"He's back."

"And he's snatched a new Apprentice," Robin finished, eyes focused on the spot Mira had been moments ago.

He whispered, not willing to believe what he witnessed. "He's back."


	11. Peace Like a River

Slade stood at the forest edge, watching Mira as she sat out far on the ocean water. Hours ago, she returned from her encounter with the Titans, hurriedly giving him the card she earned, and left. She'd been here ever since. Sitting cross-legged on the water, watching the sun set. By now, it was night, and she hadn't returned for dinner. 

He stood there quietly, preparing to step out towards the beach when the water around her began to stir. Waves tossed and turned around her form, frothing and foaming, splashing roughly as the girl lowered her head. The ocean, up to twenty feet from where she sat, twisted and turned, rising and falling tumultuously. Through the thick of it all, Slade could see Mira breathing heavily until, at last, the water began to calm. 

Slade stepped away from his hiding place and approached the waves on the shore. "Mira?" 

The girl turned her head and stood to face him. She checked her watch and bowed, almost in a panic. "Master, forgive me, I did not realize the time, and-"

Slade held up a hand, signaling for her to stop. "Don't fret, Apprentice. May I?" He asked, gesturing to the gentle waves of the water. She nodded as her master stepped out onto the ocean, slowly approaching her. He stopped to stand in front of the girl, hands behind his back. "What troubles you?"

Mira looked down, eyebrows furrowed. "I've just been thinking about my meeting with the Titans today." Slade nodded. "Yes, it was rather theatrical, wasn't it?" He said, a hint of a smile in his voice. She blushed a little, rubbing her arm anxiously. "Was I really that bad?"

He chuckled. "No, no. It had a good flare to it." He chuckled again, shaking his head. "I seem to have a habit of appointing apprentices who turn out that way. Robin and Terra were like you in that fashion."

He paused, looking down at the girl. "So, what bothers you so much? You left in victory." Anger flashed in Mira's eyes as she glanced away, exhaling roughly. "Heroes are all the same. They don't come to the rescue until stuff has already happened. They say it's for the people, but really, it's for their own glory. They're always too late, leaving behind those that need help the most."

Slade looked down at her, cocking his head to the side slightly. "What is it that makes you inclined to believe that?"

Mira frowned, pausing. "Before you...found me, I was alone, always. I didn't start my life in crime, not until a few years ago. I tried to be good, really. Whenever I needed help, I'd ask for it. No one ever gave any. I'd go to homeless shelters, orphanages, police stations...they all thought I was either lying, or they didn't care. They abandoned me."

She sniffed, eyes glistening as they began to tear up. "And my parents-I don't know what happened to them, if they're alive or not. All I know is that they left me in this life on my own."

She closed her eyes, desperately trying to prevent the tears from falling before opening them, anger present in the blue-orbs. "And these people, people like the Titans, pretend that they're here to help by stopping the 'bad guys'. They don't go to the ones who were like me. If they really wanted to do some good, they would. But they don't." 

Her hands clenched at her sides as her eyebrows furrowed. "And that has helped me to see that no matter what, it's every man for himself in this world. No-one's gonna give you the life you want. And for me...I'm better off living in crime, like you. With you."

Slade hooked a finger under the girl's chin, lifting it to have her face him. "Mira. I can truly see that you, better than most, understand the nature of this world, as do I. You and I are so very much alike." 

He rested his hand on her shoulder. "You are destined for great things. These past weeks we have spent together have made me see that more and more. Which is why I aid you in reaching your potential. And throughout all this, I believe it would be beneficial to you to try and discover yourself through your past. I know it is uncertain, but I trust that bettering your understanding of it will help you become the best you can be. Will you let me help you do that?"

Mira bit her lip, nodding. "I don't know if I could otherwise." 

Slade made it so both his hands were on her shoulders. "You are more powerful than you know. Don't forget it."

"Never, master."

They turned and made their leave, setting foot on the beach. The ocean-water was glassy, calm as could be.


	12. Now I have THREE masters

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, readers! Firstly, many, MANY apologies for the late update!! I've been recovering from a wisdom tooth removal and recently started school again and thus haven't had much time to write. I'll do my best to continue these chapters when I can, but please know that this series will NOT be cancelled, despite any long breaks in-between. Thank you so much for reading, I appreciate it! Stay safe, everyone!

Robin paced around the Titan's Tower, frustrated as he made his rounds. "Two weeks," he muttered. "She shows up, proves he's here, then there's nothing for two weeks. What's going on?!" He continued, eyes narrowed. 

"Perhaps it would be best if you came and had something to eat," Starfire said, holding up a slice of pizza. Everyone but Raven was sitting on the couch, eating their meal while Robin kept walking by the large window of their living room. Raven, who was silently meditating, opened her eyes to look at the boy. "Starfire's right. If you want to think more clearly, you need to have dinner." Beast-Boy nodded. "Yeah, man. When did you last eat?" Robin scratched his head. "This morning. I think."

"Dude. Have some pizza, please." Cyborg said sternly. Huffing, Robin made his way to the couch, plopping onto it as he grabbed a slice from the box. Chewing, he thought more on their situation. This girl, Mira, had a habit of stealing technology or cash every couple of days. Since her first appearance in Jump City, she hadn't gone more than a week without doing so. Then, she revealed her allegiance to Slade, and that's when everything got way more serious. But that was two weeks ago, and there had been no sign of her or her master. It was driving the boy crazy. And his friends could tell.

Raven lowered her hood, looking at Robin. "Robin. We'll figure this out. But we have to wait." The boy sighed, putting down the rest of his pizza. 

"She was right," he said quietly. Starfire cocked her head. "Who was right?" She asked. Robin leaned over, putting his elbows on his knees as he lowered his head. "Mira. She was right about us. No matter what happens, Slade is always one step ahead of us, and then people get hurt." Beast-Boy frowned, shoulders slumping. "Like Terra." Robin nodded. 

"And now he's got this girl. We were too late, and now she's with him." Robin ran a hand through his hair. 

"Man, we don't even know if there was any way to prevent that. Don't blame yourself. What matters right now is getting those two away from each other. We'll just have to keep our eyes open," Cyborg said, sliding a bag of bread-sticks nearer to Robin. The boy took one, nodding. "Yeah. Okay."

1 week earlier...

"Calm yourself, Apprentice," Slade said softly. Mira swallowed, trying to stop herself from wringing her hands as she took a shaky breath. She settled on just stiffly putting them to her sides, hoping that her anxiety would leave her as they waited. 

Some people Slade contacted days earlier would be there any minute now, and Mira was more than nervous about meeting them. Her master said he had spoken with some old tutors of his, who referred him to some "monks" who specialized in power like hers. That was about all the information she could get out of him. Now, they were going to come to give her more specific instruction that Slade could not. And it was making her incredibly anxious. 

"You are worried, Apprentice," her master spoke, eyes still ahead at the door they faced. Mira gulped. "Yes, Master."

"Breathe. There is nothing to be frightened of. So long as I'm here, no harm will come to either you or me."

She nodded, breath hitching as she inhaled. "Breathe, breathe..." she thought to herself, closing her eyes for a moment. 

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK

Her eyes flew open as Slade pressed a button on his wrist, allowing the door to slide away. On the other side were two people, an old man and a woman. They stepped inside, the door closing after them. They were some of the most peculiar people Mira had ever seen.

The man was slightly hunched and he walked with a knobbly cane of fine wood. His long graying hair was tied up into a bun behind him and his white and silver robes fell to the floor just above his sandaled feet. Intricate designs were woven into his clothing, curving and twisting at the cuffs and hems. But it was his grey, piercing eyes that caught Mira the most. They glanced around the room, once locking with hers before moving to her master. He walked closer, stopping to stand a few feet from them. The woman followed, silently gliding behind her companion. 

Their guests bowed their heads in greeting, then straightened to face their hosts. Slade too bowed, and Mira hurriedly copied her master's movement, glancing around as she did. 

"Master Okaulu, Master Rikaea. So glad you could make it," Slade said. "We would hate to miss an opportunity like this. It's our pleasure," the man answered. 

Slade put a hand on Mira's shoulder. "This is my apprentice, Mira." The old man turned to her, giving a small bow. "So good to meet you, my dear. I look forward to learning more with you." Mira nodded, weakly smiling as she returned the gesture. "Why don't we find a more comfortable place to talk?" Slade said, gesturing down the hallway. The man nodded.

Together they walked to a lounge room that Mira and Slade had prepared for their meeting. Two couches with a table in between set with herbal teas awaited them as they took their seats, their guests on one side, themselves on the other. The older man-Okaulu-took a sip of his tea quietly. Mira sat, feeling rather awkward as no one spoke. 

Okaulu put his cup down gently, eyes closed for a moment before he looked at Mira. "I wonder if you understand the purpose of our meeting today, young one," he spoke. It wasn't a question, more like a statement. She shook her head. He hummed. 

"Allow me to introduce myself. I am Master Okaulu of Stoikeo. This is my friend and colleague, Master Rikea," he said, gesturing to the woman beside him. Instead of waving or smiling, she sat stiffly, barely raising an eyebrow. Mira gave a small nod. "We understand you have...unique abilities," Okaulu conversed. She nodded again.

"Could you elaborate?" He inquired gently. Mira swallowed, looking down at her hands. "I can control water," she said. "How so?" The man asked. "Well...I can make it move when I want it to. I can walk on it, breathe in it..." she continued. 

"Care to demonstrate?" Okaulu asked, motioning to a glass of water by the teapot. Mira licked her lips, stretching forth a hand. She coaxed the liquid from the cup, making it twist and turn inches above the container before guiding it back. The man smiled. "Mira, what if I were to tell you you aren't alone in this expertise?" 

She thought for a moment. "I don't know if I'd be too surprised, sir. With the capabilities some of the world's heroes have, it would seem illogical to believe otherwise." Okaulu chuckled. "A wise answer. Let me tell you about what I do," he said with a light smile. "Master Rikea and I spend our time teaching other gifted youth like you how to better use their abilities. While Slade has taught you well given his experience, we could show you the full expanse of your power." 

Mira's mouth opened slightly. "How so, sir?" She questioned respectfully. Okaulu pulled a match from the inside of his robes and struck it against the table. It lit, the small flame dancing silently on the stick as the man cupped his other hand near it. Gently, the fire lifted from the wood, floating above the table. Okaulu smiled as Mira watched in amazement, the flame twisting into a miniature phoenix, flying around them before disappearing into smoke.

"While I don't have the same powers as you do, I am experienced in the field of advancing one's prowess in similar capabilities," he said, putting the burnt match back into his robes. "Master Rikea however, also has a connection with water." Mira looked at the man, giving him her full attention. "What kinds of abilities are there, sir?" She asked. 

"At Stoikeo-where we teach-we divide our students' power into four separate categories, or elements. Fire, Earth, Air, and Water, such as yourself. Slade discussed with me his last apprentice, who we suppose was an Earth-connected person." Mira nodded, recalling her master's stories of Terra. "The interesting thing about Earth powers is that they have subcategories. Rock, plants, lava and magma, etcetera. Water also has divisions. What we have generally seen are these abilities separated into saltwater, freshwater, underwater breathing, frozen water control, connections with water-based life, and influence over water-related weather."

Mira paused for a moment, taking this in. "Are people like me-with water-only able to control one of those things?" She asked. Okaulu hummed. "It's more common, yes, but we have certainly seen some with more. What I'm curious about is your range." Mira's eyebrows narrowed as she thought. "Well...I have had control over both fresh and saltwater. I've been able to make the clouds rain, I can breathe it...that is what my Master and I have found."

Okaulu and Rikea looked at each other for a moment before Okaulu turned back to face Mira. "That is quite unusual," he said thoughtfully. "I-is it, sir?" Mira asked, beginning to feel nervous. He hummed. "Very unusual indeed. Few have that much power." 

Mira glanced at Slade who was respectfully watching their guests. She kneaded her hands anxiously. "Is it...a bad thing?" She asked. Okaulu peered at her in thought, pausing before he answered. "That depends on many things. How you use that power and whether or not you reach your maximum abilities, primarily. Stoikeo's mission is to guide its pupils to their full potential, whatever road that may take them." Mira raised an eyebrow. "I don't use my abilities for what people typically consider to be good things, sir." Okaulu nodded. "Then, that is your path. My hope for you is that you carefully consider what you do, be it good or bad."

Mira pondered this for a moment. It seemed that these people, or at least, Okaulu were those they could trust. "Will you be training me sir?" She inquired. He smiled. "I'll be here for a short time. Master Rikea will be your primary instructor and reside here for the time being unless you ever want to come to Stoikeo. Your master expressed his desire to have you with him, and he rightfully supposes you'll be more comfortable in a familiar environment." Mira nodded. "When do we start, sir?"

Okaulu stood, Rikea following after. "Tomorrow, if time allows." Slade stood also, as did Mira as they began escorting their guests back to the entrance. "I look forward to spending more time with you, Mira," Okaulu said, standing at the door. Mira nodded with a small smile. "I do too, sir." Slade opened the gate, inviting the two out. "Thank you so very much for making the trip out to see us, Masters. I anticipate my apprentice's progress with interest." Okaulu and Rikea bowed before exiting, the door closing quietly behind them. 

Mira gazed at the exit, thinking over her new opportunity. 

"Now I've got three masters."


	13. Secrets

Mira stood patiently in a training room for the Stoikeo masters to arrive, Slade near the back wall ready to observe their first session. She was quite excited-though nervous. She didn't know what to expect from these new teachers, but if Slade trusted them, then she did too.

She straightened as the doors slid open and the two masters entered the room. She bowed in greeting, looking up to see them returning the gesture. 

"Good afternoon, Mira. Are you ready to begin?" Okalulu asked kindly, a smile on his wizened face. She felt her lips turn upwards as she nodded. "We've spoken to Slade about living arrangements and he has agreed to let you stay at Master Rikaea's current quarters, just a few miles from here. We're ready for you to move in this evening, if that's alright."

Mira nodded again, stealing a glance back at Slade who was watching silently. "Wonderful. Let's begin today's lesson, then," Okalulu said, drawing a hidden ball of flame concealed in his robes. He held it outstretched in Mira's direction. "Powers like ours are uncommon, perhaps even rare. They are a gift and are sacred, and we treat them as such."

The girl watched as the man's fingers began to twist around the fire. "When properly understood and manifested, we can control it with finesse and dignity," he continued as the flames stretched into a long coil and began dancing into elegant shapes. 

"When used recklessly or without proper training, however..." he said, voice dropping lower. The fire suddenly burst within itself, turning chaotic and unpredictable. Mira jumped as it fizzed around them like a mad animal, sparking and popping furiously. "It becomes a monstrosity that is entirely incomprehensible," the man said, guiding the fire back to his hand.

"Your powers are a reflection of yourself. For instance, earth abilities are often bestowed upon individuals with a protective nature, generally with a desire to nurture and provide. The students I've had represent their elements well," he continued, holding out the fire for Mira to examine. She was entranced, watching as it curled into a singular flame, dancing gracefully.

"What about water, sir?" She asked, eyes turning up to the old man's. He smiled, looking at Rikaea as she showed a hand clutching a bobbing ball of water. She thrust it upwards and it began to fall, breaking apart, only to stop in midair. Mira looked at the droplets surrounding them, noticing small moving images in them all.

"Water generally reflects personalities that are intuitive, self-sufficient, and submerged in the world and happenings around them. The students I've seen tend to be critical and are deep-thinkers, seeking knowledge and understanding. Your master has told me that you represent many of these attributes," Okalulu said with a smile as Mira turned her gaze back to him.

"I suppose I do, sir. But what does it all mean?" She asked, curiosity welling inside her. 

"Well...the most important principle in pursuing total control of these powers is an understanding of yourself. The better you can do that, the more connected you'll be," the man said, hands firm on his cane. "Slade tells me you seek answers to your past..."

The girl nodded, eyebrows furrowing. "Could you elaborate?" Okalulu asked gently.

Mira bit her lip, feeling her fingers tense anxiously. "I-I can't remember much about...my life. I don't know where I came from, or how long I've been...alone." She looked up, hands clenched nervously.

"My master is the first person I can remember taking care of me. I have no recollection of any other guardians," she said, un uncomfortable tenseness in her chest. The man in front of her gazed at her with a look of condolence. "How much _do_ you remember, Mira?" He asked hesitantly.

The girl thought for a moment. "Honestly? Not much from before I was nine, maybe ten. Everything is just kind of hazy...like a dream." It was true. All she could recall were flashes and second-long memories and instances...although...

"I remember being hurt...by what or who, I don't know," Mira continued. She heard Slade shift from the wall behind her and Okalulu glanced at Rikaea, turning back to her. "Nothing else?" The man asked. Mira shook her head.

"Well, I think it would do you good to try recalling those memories, painful though they may be. We've seen...others, who were tormented by similar ailments. Many never found peace because they refused to acknowledge their past. Master Rikaea is an expert in the science of such things, I'm sure she could provide you with guidance," the man said, looking at his partner. She nodded, straightening. 

"Whatever it is, we'll unblock it," she said crisply. It occurred to Mira that she had never heard the woman speak until now. It was somewhat uncomfortable-her voice held a sturdy firmness that seemed like it couldn't tolerate anything less than perfect communication. Probably how Rikaea herself was, by the look of things.

"Well, in other matters, there are some other things I'll want you to work on with Master Rikaea," Okalulu continued. "I'm sure you remember my phoenix?" He asked, displaying the fire again as it curled into the elegant bird. Mira nodded with a smile as it cocked its head to her.

"Every individual has a creature associated with their power. It will manifest the more you can control your abilities. You already seem well adept with your power, so I would not be surprised if it came to you soon," he said, stroking the bird's feathers.

"Really?" Mira asked excitedly. "Of course. Master Rikaea, if you would-" the man replied, looking at his partner. The woman called the still floating water droplets back to where they formed into a saber-toothed tiger at her feet. "They make worthy companions," she remarked with a small smile, petting the wild cat's head affectionately.

"I look forward to learning that," Mira said with a grin, mind racing with the creatures she might create. "Everyone does," Okalulu said with a chuckle. "Understand though, that manifesting your companion demands respect for the element you control and a strong connection to it. Do that, and you'll discover your creature soon enough."

The girl nodded as the animals furled into themselves back to their element. She jumped at Slade's hand on her shoulder. "Thank you masters. We'll make sure to have everything delivered tonight," he said, bowing his head. 

"Thank you, Master Slade. We appreciate this time we've had," Okalulu said, returning the gesture. He looked at Mira. "Good luck to you, my dear. I hope to visit sometime soon, but my duties at Stoikeo need me. You'll begin training with Master Rikaea from now on."

She nodded as the two bowed again and exited, leaving Slade and Mira alone.

"Well, Apprentice? Impressions?" The man said as the two turned to one of the numerous hallways. "I'm excited..." she began. "I never knew there was so much out there, so many people like me. So much for me to learn."

Slade looked at her out the corner of his eye, somewhat questioning. "Anything else?" He asked as they continued. "The training sounds effective, though I'm..." she paused, swallowing. "I am nervous to see what's been hidden from me. Maybe I can't remember things because it'll be bad if I do."

The man nodded. "A wise precaution to keep in mind...but it sounds like it's for the best if we can help you recall these things," he said empathetically. The girl sighed. "Probably."

The walked in silence for a few moments before Slade spoke again. "I'll come every few nights or so to check in on you. Leaving you totally alone doesn't quite make me feel secure, I'll admit." 

Mira looked up at him. "What will you be doing in the meantime?" She asked. "Continuing our current schedule, though I'll want to work in some time to...drop by to say 'hello' to the Titans. Can't have them feeling too at ease, now, can we?"

The girl grinned with a chuckle. "Definitely not."


End file.
